Combination connecter plug and switch



\ Nov. 3, 1936. E, B BARN TZ 2,059,926

COMBINATION CONNECTER PLUG AND SWITCH Filed April 25, 1954 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED. STATES COMBINATION comc'ran PLUG AND swrrcn Emanuel B. Barnitz, Johnstown, Pa.

Application April 25,

2 Claims.

The connecter of the present invention contemplates in its preferred form, a plug of novel construction for use on electrical appliances of of various miscellany, especially irons, the plug 5 including in its construction, a movable cord or cable carrying ferrule usable as a finger piece to facilitate disengagement of the plug from an appliance without exerting pressure on the cord.

The connecter of my invention, while. preferably employing a plug of novel construction, may

nevertheless be composed of a plug of conventional design in pivotal engagement with a cord or cable carrying ferrule of novel construction which preferably extends from the plug at right angles and is movable about the plug in an arc to relieve stress on the cord during use of the connecter. v

A further embodiment-of the invention is to provide a connecter which, in its preferred form,

embodies a novel form of plug with a movable cord carrying ferrule and a novel form of switch in the plug preferably interposed between the ferrule and the plug contacts.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred forms thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric connecter constructed in accordance with the pres- 80 ent invention;

, Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the plug portion of the connectershowing one of the sides thereof removed to show the details on the interior of the latter;

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal sectional View, taken on the line 3-2; of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the 40 arrows;

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary sectional view through the switch carrying portion of the plug; Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary plane view of a modified form of connecter; and

Fig. 'l is a side elevational view of the same, a part thereof being broken away to disclose details. In its preferred form, the connecter of the present invention consists of a plug, generally designated 8, which is constructed in two parts com plementally formed to house details of the invention hereinafter described. Preferably the plug-is slightly larger than a plug of conventional design and is' 'provided in one wall thereof, adjacent its upper terminals, with an opening Q through which one end of a cord or cable carrying 1934, Serial No. 722,376

length to receive a cord or cable l2, the bore of the ferrule within the head it being divided to provide parallel openings l3, which terminate at the free terminal of the head on opposite sides of an extension Id. The extension l t projects beyond the head it for a distance which is sufficient to span a recess formed in the plug by the opening 8 in one side of the latter, and a semi circular cavity formed in the opposite side of the plug. As the ferrule H3 is moved laterally the extension M wipes over the wall of the cavity i5 and serves as a partition to separate wire strands 56, which extend into the plug from the cord 82 and are engaged with parts on the interior of the L plug, as more fully hereinafter set forth. In this way the ferrule Hi l is mounted directly in the plug, is freely movable laterally therein, and serves as a flng piece to permit the plug to be removed from an electrical appliance, such as an iron, in a facile manner, without exerting any pressure on the cord l2. Furthermore, there is no strain on the cord i2 during the use of an appliance, such as an iron, since the ferrule permits freedom of movement of the appliance independently of the cord..

The side or part of the plug which carries the ferrule it is also adapted for the reception of contacts ill preferably mounted in the lower end of the plug for engagement overthe pintles or pins .of an appliance. One of the contacts i! is engaged by one of the wires it, the latter passing through a groove E8 in the plug part, so as to be countersunk in the latter. The other contact ii is' engaged by one end of a conductor strip 59, shown to advantage in Fig. l, the opposite end of said strip being adapted for normal engagement with a conductor flngen 2h. The strip is is inherently resilient so as vto normally flex against the finger 2b to normally close the electrical circuit through the plug when the latter is engaged with an appliance sinc the finger 28 is engaged with a binding screw 2i to which the other wire it of the cordis engaged. For the purpose of opening the circuit I provide an insulated switch key 22 which, in the drawing, I have shown to consist of a discal body having 9. lug 23 radiating therefrom to which one end of a spring 24 is anchored. The opposite end of said spring is mounted in a recess formed in the plug. The key 22 may also be provided with a peripheral extension25 through the medium of which the key can be moved on its axis at the option of the user.

terposed between the strip l9 and the finger 20, thereby separating these parts to open the circuit.

In the form of invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing, a conventional type of plug 26 is illustrated with which a housing 21 is pivotally engaged. In this form of invention I employ a tapered plug 28, the small end of which is provided with an annulus 29, which is fixedly mounted in a corresponding groove formed in the plug 21. The outer end of the plug is mounted in a complemental opening 30, formed in one end of the housing. The plug is provided with a bore through which wire strands 3| of the electric cord or cable are trained, for engagement with contacts in the plug 28, in a manner well known in the art. The strands M are separated by a partition 32, extending through the plug. The cord or cable is engaged with the housing 21 in a manifest manner. The housing 21 is in two parts and since the plug 28 is tapered, it can be engaged only from the inside of the housing part in which the opening 30 is formed. Consequently when the other part of the housing is in place, casual disengagement of the plug is prevented and securing means for the latter is unnecessary. The plug is frictionally engaged with the housing but rotative movement thereof is permitted so as to allow rela- When the key is in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the lug 23 is intive movement of the plug and housing. In this form of invention, the housing extends at'right angles to the plug to permit use of the housin as a finger piece for disengaging the plug from an appliance. In view of the plug annulus 29, it will be apparent that when pressure is exerted on the housing to disengage the plug from the appliance, separation of the plug and housing is prevented.

Although I have herein described only two forms of my invention, which experiment has shown to be efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture, I am nevertheless aware that various changes may be made in the connecter without departing from the scope of the invention, as covered by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric connecter for appliances including a p ug, having contacts for engagement with an appliance, a cord carrying ferrule pivotally mounted in a wall of the plug, the cord of which is in electrical engagement with the plug contacts, and a lug formed on said ferrule and extending across the plug into engagement with an inner wall of the latter and projecting completely through the opposite wall of the plug to hold the wires of the cord out of contact in the plug under all conditions.

2. An electric connecter for appliances including a two-part plug, one of the parts of which is provided with an opening intermediate its terminals, a cord carrying ferrule engageable in said opening only from. the inside of the plug, said ferrule extending at right angles to the plug to serve as a finger piece for facilitating disengagement of the plug from an appliance.

EBLANUEL B. BARNITZ. 

